The rapper who saved ScHoolboy Q’s life: “I didn’t know what to do”
ScHoolboy Q has become one of the best rappers over the last 15 years with albums such as Habits & Contradictions, Blank Face LP and Blue Lips. But those projects might not have been possible if it hadn’t been for one hip-hop legend. The TDE artist believes he wouldn’t be here today without inspiration from one of his favourite rappers.
The Los Angeles native has cited Nas, Jay-Z, Kurupt and Tupac Shakur as some of his biggest influences, but 50 Cent and Biggie Smalls are at the top of the pile for him. Q has even gone as far as saying that 50 saved his life, seeing similarities between them.
“We got the same shit going on,” he told Vibe. “Everything he talk about is the same shit I did. I relate to Fifty. I can listen to 50 Cent and tell he really mean what he’s saying. He’s one of them n*ggas that got away with confidence.”
Q claimed that while 50 doesn’t have the lyrical talent of someone like Hov, he does have the most confidence out of anyone in the genre. 50 inspired him to take his music career seriously after he was released from prison.
“50 ain’t got the best bars, he ain’t got Jay-Z bars but his confidence on a record… you can’t deny it,” he declared. “I seen where he was doing an interview about Ja Rule during the beef shit, he was saying that any n*gga that just getting out of jail that don’t know what to do with himself is getting into the rap game.”
He continued, “Recently, when I just got out of jail, I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t going to try and finish playing football. That’s when I was fucking around with rapping. I wasn’t really rapping but when I heard that I was like fuck it… I really went hard at it. 50 probably saved my life on some real shit.”
Q collaborated with 50 on ‘Can I Speak to You’, a track on his 5 (Murder by Numbers) mixtape, in 2012. The G-Unit rapper praised Q during an interview with Power 106 that year while explaining how the song came about.
“That 50 and ScHoolboy Q right there, I’m gonna work with the young gunners, we’re gonna get it right,” he said. “I like working with new artists, particularly like Q, I got the chance to kick it with him a little bit and I like him. You know how you just vibe with a person? And I was like, ‘We’re gonna do something together,’ and then I waited, and when I found the right [beat], I sent it to him and we put it together.”
The duo collaborated again in 2014 on Animal Ambition, 50’s last studio album. Q appeared on ‘Flip on You’ from the deluxe version of the project.
Q has made similar glowing comments about Kendrick Lamar in the past. “Dot taught me,” he said on the Back on Figg podcast. “Dot taught me so much, bro. Dot… Dot gave me… Dot gave me so much confidence. Dot made me a rapper. This shit make me want to cry right now. Dot saved my life. I owe a lot to Dot.”